Sheryl Lee as Laura PalmerCaption:NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 06: Dana Ashbrook attends the 'Psych' Season 6 premiere at Ziegfeld Theatre on October 6, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Desiree Navarro/WireImage)

Dana Ashbrook as Bobby

Twin Peaks returns: Everything we know so far about season 3

The cast announcement was made during the Television Critics Association's winter press tour on Friday (January 16), according to The Wrap.

Showtime president David Nevins recently vowed that the network will not interfere with Mark Frost and David Lynch's writing process on Twin Peaks.

The critically-acclaimed series will return to television next year after a 25-year hiatus. Lead actor Kyle MacLachlan is back as FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper.

Showtime will air nine all-new episodes of Twin Peaks in 2016.

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"It felt like only way you could do it is to have David committing to directing all of them and that's what I was begging for," the executive admitted.

"[Twin Peaks is] something they've been toying with. And for David, 25 years was the magic number. There's a reference in original, 'I'll see you in 25 years'."

MacLachlan is the first original cast member to be confirmed to return for the Showtime season, although Richard Beymer, Sheryl Lee, Mädchen Amick and Peggy Lipton have all hinted at involvement.

Dale Cooper and Audrey in Twin Peaks

Twin Peaks returns: Everything we know so far about season 3

Joan Chen has also indicated that she would like to revisit her devious Twin Peaks character Josie Packard, although she denied being directly contacted.

Frost will bridge the 25-year gap between the end of Twin Peaks and the third season with an upcoming novel called The Secret Lives of Twin Peaks.

The writer recently hinted that he would like to bring back several viewer-favorite Twin Peaks characters, and has also refused to rule out a potential fourth season.

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Below is all the information we know so far. We've started with Mark Frost's wide-ranging interviews with TVLine and Deadline, added some info from Vulture's fine phonearound, and had a sniff around the rest of the web.

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We'll be adding more facts to this article as they arrive over the coming weeks and months.

1. Twin Peaks will return in 2016"I'll see you again in 25 years," Laura Palmer promised in the Red Room. Coincidence? "When you see it, you'll know," says Frost.

When exactly? Mid-2016 seems likely, with Lynch telling the BBC in December 2014 that the return was "a year and a half" away. He added to The Guardian: "We're not able to even get started because the contracts haven't been signed."

2. It will air on Showtime"Showtime was the first and only [network] we spoke to about this... they loved the show," Frost adds. The network has already set up an official website for the series.

3. It's a proper sequel"It is not a remake. The story continues. The seeds of where we go were planted where we've been."

Mark Frost will write a book called The Secret Lives of Twin Peaks, bridging the gap between then and now.

Charismatic special agent Dale Cooper, enshrouded in mystery and exuding unadulterated sex appeal in his wake (or was that just us?), was portrayed by actor Kyle MacLachlan.

MacLachlan had previously teamed up with director David Lynch for cult classic Blue Velvet in 1986, and went on to reprise his role in the TV series movie prequel Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me in 1992.

He went on to star in Dutch director Paul Verhoeven's guilty pleasure Showgirls (1995), and appeared in HBO's Sex and the City as Charlotte's first husband Trey MacDougal between 2000-2002.

The star also played Bree Van de Kamp's (played by Marcia Cross) husband Orson Hodge in Desperate Housewives from 2006 to 2012.

Last year, he was cast as Dr Roman Skouras in JJ Abrams' short-lived fantasy drama Believe.

The actress also went on to reprise her role for the TV series movie prequel, and later starred as Carrie Fairchild in CBS soap opera Central Park West during the sole run of 21 episodes in 1995 and 1996.

She later appeared in medical drama ER between 2004 and 2005 as social worker Wendall Meade, and as Sara in Matt LeBlanc's Friends spin-off Joey (2005).

The actress also played Danielle Marchetti in season three of FX legal drama Damages in 2010, and currently stars as Wendy Beauchamp in Lifetime's Witches of East End.

Ashbrook starred in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, and went on to play the recurring role of Rich Rinaldi in teen drama Dawson's Creek between 2002-2003.

The actor also played Jimmy in TV drama Crash (2009) - the Starz network's spin-off of the Oscar-winning movie of the same title, and crime series Psych, which featured an episode inspired by Twin Peaks.

Richard Beymer plays the sinister Benjamin Horne who casually recites Shakespearean sonnets on cue, and has a monopoly over Twin Peaks with his ownership of the Great Northern Hotel and the seemingly only department store (/casino/brothel) One Eyed Jacks.

Prior to Twin Peaks, Beymer played Peter in 1959's The Diary of Anne Frank, and Tony in the film adaptation of Broadway musical West Side Story in 1961. He also made numerous guest appearances in Murder, She Wrote between 1987 and 1996.

Lara Flynn Boyle stars as Donna Hayward, the bereft best friend of Laura Palmer. Donna dedicates her life to solving Laura's murder, before becoming romantically linked to Laura's secret boyfriend James Hurley.

The actress did not appear in Fire Walk With Me, instead going on to star as Stacy in Wayne's World (1992) - recently reuniting with that movie's cast - and played Helen Jordan in Todd Solondz's Happiness in 1998. The star played Assistant District Attorney Helen **** in legal drama The Practice between 1997 and 2003.

She also starred as shapeshifting alien Serleena in Men in Black II (2002).

Sherilyn Fenn plays the smouldering and sassy Audrey Horne - intelligent and beautiful daughter of Benjamin Horne, who crushes on Special Agent Cooper.

Fenn starred as Curley's wife in Gary Sinise's Of Mice and Men in 1992, and took the lead role in 1993's steamy (and bizarre) Boxing Helena - the directorial debut of David Lynch's daughter Jennifer Chambers Lynch.

Her TV credits include Gilmore Girls (2006-2007) and Fox drama Boston Public (2003-2004). In 2012, she appeared in horror short Project: Phoenix alongside James Logan.

Fenn recently secured a role as an ambitious yet clueless wife of a corrupt FBI cop in Liev Schreiber's Ray Donovan.

Lipton starred in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, and as Ellen March in Kevin Costner's apocalyptic nightmare flop The Postman (1997).

The actress also appeared in the TV series spin-off of critically-acclaimed movie Crash, and recently completed filming Steve and Nancy Carell's police procedural comedy Angie Tribeca, also starring her daughter Rashida Jones.

James Marshall plays James Hurley, a brooding motorcycle fanatic afflicted with a troubled family background who secretly dated Laura Palmer.

Before his part in Twin Peaks, Marshall starred as Kevin Randall in hit US sitcom Growing Pains from the late '80s to early '90s.

He also starred in the Twin Peaks movie prequel, and is probably best known for his role as Pfc Louden Downey in Aaron Sorkin's A Few Good Men and for his lead as Tommy Riley in boxing drama Gladiator (1992)